Thailand COVID Update May 21, 2022 – Thailand Ministry of Health reports 5,377 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 37 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 5,775 patients recovered from the COVID-19 virus.
The Ministry of Public Health has offered a broad timeline for when the Thailand Pass for foreigners will be phased out.
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul stated on Friday at an event organized by Chulalongkorn Alumni Associations and its partners that the government requires more reliable information about infected cases resulting from foreign entry before making a decision.
“It’s possible that we will cancel the registration requirement of Thailand Pass for foreigners. We need one more month then we will have a clear answer,” he said.
Mr. Anutin, on the other hand, noted that, as the situation with everyday infections improves, the country is now loosening many of the measures it used to handle Covid-19 infections.
The minister cited the opening of pubs, bars, and karaoke venues in provinces designated as blue and green zones to stimulate tourism next month as an example of the newest softening step.
He expressed confidence that relevant business operators would follow the ministry’s health safety recommendations with vigor.
“We have seen the results of our control measures including having a high percentage of the population receive two doses of Covid-19 vaccines,” he said. “That is the reason why we started to relax some regulations.”
Mr. Anutin lauded the country’s ability to offer people medical care and medications. He went on to say that telemedicine is another crucial step the ministry will take in order to provide medical treatment to all Thais.